For agencies
Keep client billing connected.
Turn retainers, milestones and approved work into invoices without reconstructing the agreement at month-end.
7-day free trial, no card needed.Invoicera helps agencies run outgoing billing across retainers, projects, milestones and approved time. Each client invoice can retain its billable source, applicable terms, reviewer and receivable state as it moves forward. The product supports the billing operation around client work; it does not replace campaign, creative-delivery or project-management systems.
Recognise the work
The client agreement changed. The billing sheet did not.
One account added scope, another moved a milestone and a third still needs time approved. When those decisions sit with different client leads, billing has to rebuild the month before it can send anything.
Start with the wider Solutions map.
- 01
Retainers and projects share one client
Billing needs to apply different sources and timing without losing the account context.
- 02
The account lead holds the exception
A changed scope or delayed milestone remains outside the invoice preparation record.
- 03
Follow-up loses the client conversation
Receivables sees an open balance but not the question already being resolved by the account team.
Agency billing software
Agency billing software for retainers, projects and approved time.
Agency billing gets hard when one client mixes a monthly retainer, a project milestone and extra hours. Invoicera keeps each source on its own line, sends the total to the right reviewer and gives the client one place to view and pay. It runs the billing step. Campaign, creative and project delivery stay in the tools your team already uses.
- 01
Retainers with carry-forward
Run retainer cycles on the agreed schedule, with carry-forward between periods under the client terms. Retainer billing is included from the Grow plan.
- 02
Project and milestone billing
Bill a fixed project fee on its agreed schedule, or trigger the invoice when a campaign milestone is completed (milestone triggers from the Grow plan).
- 03
Approved time at agreed rates
Approve timesheets before billing, then turn approved hours into invoice lines at rates set by role or task (from the Grow plan).
- 04
A branded client portal
Clients view, download and pay their invoices, see their statement history and flag an invoice they dispute.
SEO and advertising agencies
Billing software for SEO and advertising agencies.
An SEO agency often bills a monthly retainer plus one-off projects such as an audit or a site migration. An advertising agency adds campaign milestones and extra hours on top of its retainer. Both need one clear invoice for the client and a visible source behind every amount for finance.
- 01
SEO retainers and projects together
Keep the monthly SEO retainer and a fixed-fee audit as separate lines on one client invoice.
- 02
Advertising campaign stages
Bill each agreed campaign stage when it is completed, with the milestone and approver kept on the record.
- 03
Clients in other currencies
Send invoices in the client's currency when the agency works with clients abroad.
How it works
Carry the client decision into the outgoing invoice.
The agency billing record should show what was agreed, what became billable and who confirmed the change.
Give clients one place to view, download and pay invoices through the branded client portal.
- 01
Assemble
Bring the retainer, accepted milestone and approved time into the correct client billing period.
- 02
Review
Route the outgoing amount to the account or finance owner who can confirm the client terms.
- 03
Follow through
Keep the client response, reminder stage and payment status connected after the invoice is sent.
A practical decision rule
Separate the source before combining the invoice.
A client total may combine several commercial arrangements. Each line should retain the source and decision that made it billable.
Connect accepted work through project-based billing.
Worked example
One agency invoice with three billable sources
- Monthly retainer
- $12,000
- Accepted milestone
- $4,500
- Approved time
- 12 × $150 = $1,800
- Outgoing total
- $18,300
Industries
Billing by industry.
Explore billing by industry.
View all industries
Professional services
Control retainers, approved time, project work and client review before the invoice leaves finance.
View industry →
SaaS
Keep recurring periods, entered or imported quantities and renewal billing decisions visible.
View industry →
Construction
Turn accepted milestones, change orders and project billing checkpoints into controlled invoices.
View industry →
Logistics
Connect service records, rates, accessorial charges and customer requirements to outgoing billing.
View industry →
Legal
Keep the fee arrangement, reviewer and receivable path connected to the outgoing invoice.
View industry →Blog
Relevant reading for this decision.
Explore billing decisions.
View more articles
Billing operations · Sep 22, 2026
5 Common Project Billing Problems and How to Fix Them
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Billing operations · Sep 15, 2026
How to Simplify Complex Billing Without Replacing Your Business Systems
Read article →
Billing operations · Sep 9, 2026
Zoho Billing vs Invoicera: Which Fits Growing Businesses?
Read article →Customer perspective
What customers say about working with Invoicera.
My contractor business moved away from a manual invoicing process. Invoicera made invoicing simpler, which leaves me more time to help clients.
Late payments made cash flow difficult to manage. Invoicera gives me notifications when clients have not paid, so I can respond and keep the business moving.
Invoicera has streamlined our billing operations and helped us reduce manual effort. We particularly value its automation, ease of use, and professional invoicing experience. It’s a great solution for growing businesses, and we’re happy to recommend it.
Questions buyers ask
Know where this fits.
Each answer stands on its own, including the boundary of what Invoicera does and does not do.
What billing models can an agency run in Invoicera?
Agencies can create outgoing invoices for retainers, recurring agreements, fixed project work, accepted milestones and approved time. A client invoice may combine relevant components while keeping each source understandable. The agency remains responsible for defining the commercial terms and confirming the work that is ready to bill before outgoing review begins.
Can account leads review an invoice before the client sees it?
Invoicera supports multi-step outgoing approval with role-based routing and value thresholds. An agency can place the appropriate account or finance reviewer before client delivery, helping the team check scope, period, rate, amount and delivery against client terms. This is approval of customer invoices, not approval of supplier bills or other incoming documents.
Does Invoicera manage agency projects or campaigns?
No. Invoicera supports the billing step around approved project, milestone and time inputs. It does not plan creative work, assign delivery tasks, manage campaigns or replace the agency’s project system. The useful boundary is clear: delivery confirms what became billable, and Invoicera applies the billing terms and outgoing controls to that work.
How should agencies handle client billing exceptions?
Keep the exception beside the affected invoice or billable component, with its reason, owner and next action. A delayed milestone, disputed line or changed scope should not disappear into an email thread. Routine reminders can continue for ordinary overdue balances, while active client questions remain visible for deliberate human review.
Can agency billing continue alongside QuickBooks or Xero?
Yes. Invoicera works alongside supported accounting companions and sends supported billing outputs outbound after the agency’s preparation and outgoing review. QuickBooks or Xero remains responsible for the ledger. The separation lets the agency keep client terms, billable sources and approvals in the billing operation without claiming to move the accounting record itself.
What should agency billing software do?
Agency billing software should turn each client agreement into an invoice without rebuilding it every month. In Invoicera that means retainer billing with carry-forward, fixed project fees, milestone-based invoice triggers and approved time at rates set by role or task, with outgoing review before the client sees the invoice. Retainer, milestone and time billing are included from the Grow plan.
Is Invoicera suitable as billing software for an SEO agency?
Yes, for the billing side of an SEO agency. A monthly SEO retainer, a fixed-fee audit and extra approved hours can sit as separate lines on one client invoice, each with its own source. Invoicera does not track rankings, run campaigns or manage SEO delivery; those stay in the agency's own tools.
Can advertising agency clients view and pay invoices online?
Yes. The branded client portal lets clients view, download and pay their invoices, see their statement history and flag an invoice they dispute. Client approval of an invoice inside the portal is not offered, so internal review happens before the invoice is sent.
Start with the real billing case
Bring the schedule, exception or approval that is hardest to control.
See how Invoicera would run it without moving the ledger out of the system your finance team already uses.
Book a Demo